Outsource bottle buy back, workers urge Tasmac management

The Tamil Nadu Government Tasmac Employees’ Union (TNGTEU) has urged the State government to appoint a dedicated agency for implementing the empty liquor bottle buy back scheme instead of assigning the work to shop employees.

Members of the union told presspersons here on Saturday that the new directive requiring employees to collect used liquor bottles from customers on shop premises had significantly increased their workload.

According to the union, employees were already burdened with heavy workload and extended working hours. “Around 36,000 employees were hired in 2003, but now there are only 25,000 on duty. This has increased the burden on staff,” said K. Balasubramanian, Special State President, Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association.

Despite strong objections raised by all unions within TASMAC through protests and formal written submissions, the administration continued to push forward with the decision. In response, the TNGTEU has announced a one-day Statewide strike on December 3, demanding that the empty liquor bottle buy-back scheme be handled exclusively by a separate agency.